


When You Smiled

by i_write_shakespeare_not_disney



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Falling In Love, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Mutual Pining, Pining, Punk, hidge, team punk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 17:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14193522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_write_shakespeare_not_disney/pseuds/i_write_shakespeare_not_disney
Summary: This is basically the story of how my grandparents first met and a little tweak on how they fell in love because today is their anniversary.Or-A one shot in which Hunk falls in love at first sight, but Pidge can't stand the stupid baker guy butting in everywhere. And then they fall for each other. Also Matt and Lance are face palming half the time. Sam Holt is the ultimate Punk/Hidge shipper.





	When You Smiled

There was an air of excitement about everyone today. It was the first birthday Sam Holt was having back with his family after being gone for so long, and the backyard was filled with family and friends all excited to welcome him back. That was another fun thing; everyone had spent the night at the house in preparation for the party because everyone had flown in or driven up to the Holt residence.

That’s how much Sam Holt mattered to everyone. The fact made Pidge’s heart swell with pride.

She was still getting ready, putting curlers in her hair and still dressed in a shirt three sizes too big with stains from breakfast and ratty old pajama pants. She wanted to wait to put on her new dress so as to minimize the risk of the little ones running into her with soda or something. And her mom was going to help with her makeup.

“The cakes are here!” Matt called up. “Pidge, hurry up, the stereo won’t work and I have to set up the cakes.”

“I’m coming!” she called. She clambered down the steps, not feeling too self-conscious because half her family was also in the middle of getting ready as they ran around making some last minute additions and setting up food and running after children.

“Pidge, sweetheart, come here I need your input,” her mother grabbing her mid-step and turning her. “The peridot earrings or the amethyst ones?”

“Which dress are you wearing?”

“The blue one with fake diamonds along the waist.”

Pidge smiled and turned both earrings away. “Wear the sapphire ones Gramma got you on your wedding day.” Her mother nodded and kissed her cheek before running off.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lawn, Hunk was balancing a three tier cake among the many awed children wanting to steal a taste.

“Lance!” he called.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” his friend snapped, setting up the table with Matt. “Alright kiddos, scram or you get no cake. And trust me, these are slices of heaven.” The kids giggled and ran off. “Matt, is the whole table for the cakes or are there more desserts?”

“There’s a few others, but the cake can take up the table, it’s cool. Lance, seriously thanks for this, I owe you big time.”

“Nah,” he answered, patting Hunk’s shoulder as he helped him put the cake on the table. “I was just lucky enough to know this great guy.”

“I should be thanking you,” Hunk said, carefully setting up a few smaller cakes around the tower. “The bakery I run with my uncle doesn’t get big orders like this, usually. We usually do bread and smaller cakes for kids.”

“Oh the sweet bread,” Lance said dreamily. “Anyway, it’s Dr. Holt’s big day. He deserves the best, and Hunk is the best.”

Matt laughed and excused himself to go set up a bouncy castle for the kids who were starting to eye the cakes a little too greedily. Lance left to get him and Hunk a few sodas to beat the heat and Hunk busied himself with looking around.

It was incredible to see this many people gathered for one person. Hunk had heard of Dr. Holt, of all the incredible things he’d done in research and the federal mission he’d been on that was so top secret not even his wife really knew what had happened or where he’d been. They were all just happy he was back.

As he looked around, his eyes fell on a girl with a head full of rollers dressed in a stained oversized shirt that made her look even smaller than she was. But there was something in her smile, in her eyes which even from this distance, Hunk could see gleamed in the sun, that told him she was older than she looked. Her arms were hooked between two other girls who were in different stages of getting ready, and they said something to make her laugh, causing her to tilt her head back and making her eyes squint adorably.

“Here you go, buddy. Hunk? Hunk!”

Hunk blinked and blindly grabbed the soda. “Lance, do you know who that is?” he asked, trying to gesture discreetly to the pretty girl that seemed so at ease even with a million rollers in her hair and barefoot in the grass.

“Pidge? That’s Matt’s sister. Dr. Holt’s daughter.” He paused and eyed Hunk with a smirk. “Why?”

Hunk shook his head and let his eyes drift back to her. “She’s magnificent.”

Her eyes flickered over to the table when one of the girls gestured, and her eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of the cakes, but Hunk was turning away, trying to catch his breath. His entire body felt tense and nervous, and his heart was pounding even though she hadn’t even looked at _him,_ she looked at the cakes, but she was so beautiful, Hunk had no idea what to do if she did look at him.

“Oh my God, Hunk,” Lance laughed, trying to hide his smirk in his soda. “She’s pretty chill. Just go say hi.”

“Yeah, then what? I can barely hold a conversation on a regular day, how am I supposed to do that with her?”

“She’s a person.”

“She’s the prettiest person I’ve ever seen,” he corrected.

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. “You realize she’s in one her dad’s old shirts and that her hair looks like those wine moms on old TV sitcoms, right?”

Hunk rolled his eyes and peeked back at her where she was fixing one of the younger kids’ suit with a kind smile. “Yeah. But look at her smile.”

“Ho-ooh-kay, buddy,” Lance said, shaking his head and laughing.

Once Matt had set up the bouncy house, the kids flocked to it and seemed to give everyone else a head start on the rest of the preparations and getting ready. Pidge went over to the stereo to see what was wrong with it which she should have done a while ago if her cousins hadn’t pulled her away to ask about school and give her the latest update on their cousin Emma who was off in Europe.

She went back into the house to get the manual for the stereo in hopes of figuring out what exactly was wrong with it. The sound was all garbled and the volume wasn’t working, but Pidge hoped it was something she could fix, and not because they needed a new one. They rarely used that stereo, so she didn’t see why it’d be so messed up.

“Pidge, honey, you have to get ready soon,” her mother said when she saw Pidge digging through the drawers.

“I know, Mom. I’m just gonna reboot the stereo and start getting ready.”

“Did you see the cakes? Aren’t they beautiful?”

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah I saw them getting set up. They’re really nice, Dad’s gonna love them.”

“Could you thank Lance for finding us a bakery so last-minute?” Pidge huffed and rolled her eyes, looking over at her mom as she poked at Pidge’s hair nonchalantly. “Such a sweet boy he is.”

“Yeah, and he’s like an annoying older brother, Mom,” she reminded. “It’s not happening.”

She laughed and tightened one of the rollers that had come loose. “You never know, Pidge. You can fall in love at the most unlikely times. You know how I met your father?”

“Modulating arguments,” she said with a smile. “I loved when Dad told me that story before bed.”

Her mother smiled and bopped her nose with a gentle finger. “I never thought for a second that the same guy who’d been driving me nuts would be the same one I’d be marrying and having a family with. Keep an open mind.”

“Alright, Mom,” she resigned, smiling. Her mother had always liked Lance for her, but Pidge never saw him as anything more than Matt’s friend and a possible second older brother. She liked playing video games with the guy, and he was usually there after their classes at the Garrison Tech Institute every day, so she saw him plenty. There was just never anything more, despite her mom’s insistence.

She found her pamphlet and waved it around victoriously. “I’ll be back. Wear the silver shoes!” she said as she ducked back out.

She went to the stereo and started checking each cord to be sure everything was plugged in correctly. She was aware of a shadow and looked over to see Lance. “What are you doing, Elizabeth James?”

“Elizabeth James?” she questioned.

“Yeah, that lady from the Parent Trap. When she was drunk and had rollers in her hair?” Pidge rolled her eyes and flipped him off. “Ouch, Pidge.” He laughed and leaned over, looking at the pamphlet in her hands. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out why this won’t work. If you tell me to turn it off and back on, I will punch you.”

Lance laughed and heaved a sigh. “Well, my buddy is pretty good with wires and stuff. He’s the top engineer at the Garrison.” Pidge raised an eyebrow and Lance waved over the guy who’d brought the cakes.

“Your baker friend is an engineer?” she asked, unamused as the guy walked over, looking at Lance warily.

“Yep! Hunk, buddy, Pidge here needs help fixing the stereo. Easy work for you, right?”

“I don’t need help,” Pidge muttered, clenching her jaw.

The baker, Hunk, looked at her nervously and smiled. “Hi. Um, I can fix it for you if you want-”

“I can do it myself,” she said, not wanting a couple of guys trying to mansplain equipment to her just because they were Garrison students. She’d be there too next year. She was a Holt for crying out loud.

“Pidge, be nice,” Lance said, an amused smile on his face. “He’s just trying to help.”

“Right,” she muttered. Hunk pointed at the pamphlet and she handed it over.

He looked at the stereo and seemed to zone out for a second, fiddling with something Pidge couldn’t see because he hunched over his work. She looked at Lance with a raised eyebrow, but he just shrugged and looked back at Hunk. “There you go,” he said, suddenly standing back. “Try it now.”

Pidge pressed play as an old Elvis Presley song came on, crystal clear and loud enough to scare one of her aunts who was walking by.

“Nice job, Hunk!” Lance praised.

“Yeah, thanks,” Pidge said, looking at the baker. “I have to go get ready.” She turned away, feeling oddly miffed about the fact that Lance and his friend had just pranced in and taken over. She was perfectly capable of figuring things out herself, and she didn’t want some guy with a pretentious attitude under a kind smile trying to coddle her.

She went back to her room and let her hair down from her rollers, combing through until her hair fell in gentle light brown waves just under her shoulders and she slipped into her dress, a light green with a white ribbon around her waist which fit snugly and fell to her knees in little ruffles that spread when she twirled. She put on her favorite flats with yellow flowers and pinned one side of her hair up with a hairpin her father had given her at her last birthday she was able to spend with him. It was a nice emerald color and was shaped like a small lily flower.

Suddenly, she heard a lot of excited yells downstairs, and her heart jumped. Her father was back. She raced downstairs and smiled when she saw her mother in the arms of her father. They were hugging so tightly, Pidge wondered if they’d ever let go, but she didn’t mind.

When they did pull apart her father kissed her mother, making her laugh through happy tears as his moustache tickled her.

“Dad!” Matt ran in from the backyard and hugged him tightly. Pidge was surprised with the way Matt seemed to be just a smidge taller than him now.

“Where’s my girl?” her dad asked, looking around until his eyes landed on Pidge. His eyes crinkled and she ran toward him, tackling him into a hug she never wanted to let go. “Oh look at you!” he cried, holding her tightly. “You’re wearing the pin.”

“You’re back,” she whispered, taking in the familiar scent of his Old Spice cologne. It had been a long time since Pidge smelled that in the house. “Happy birthday, Dad,” she sniffed, kissing his cheek before pulling away.

As Sam Holt greeted the rest of the family that had gathered for him, Pidge let her mom whisk her away to help her with a touch of mascara, a swipe of gloss, and the lightest tint of blush. The two of them went to the backyard where everyone was gathered and waiting to take pictures of the reunited family before eating.

Once the pictures were taken, more music flooded the yard and everyone lined up to serve themselves. Pidge noticed Hunk was still there, talking with Matt and Lance. She was a little annoyed since he hadn’t exactly been invited, he’d just brought the cakes, but she knew better than to be rude and say something about it. Besides, it looked like he was friends with her brother and Lance.

She sat down to eat, catching her father up on her school days and telling him about how she was planning on applying to the Garrison the next year. He talked to her about the things he could tell her about his time away, like the different foods he ate and the little shops he’d visit without giving away a location.

Somewhere in the middle of talking, Matt walked over and introduced his baker friend. “Hey Dad, this is Hunk. He made all of the cakes and stuff. He’s friends with Lance and he goes to the Garrison too.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir, I’ve heard so much about your work,” Hunk said, looking flustered as he shook his hand.

Pidge rolled her eyes and poked at the piece of bread left on her plate while her father indulged in meeting his new fan.

Then she heard, “I was actually wondering if I could steal Pidge away for a dance?” She blinked and looked over at Hunk. “Pidge, would you… like to dance?”

She looked at her parents who were smiling encouragingly, but something kept her rooted to her seat. “Um, I’m with my parents right now,” she said awkwardly.

He looked like he was going to leave her alone, but then her mom said, “Oh, honey, it’s okay! One dance won’t hurt, we have all day to catch up. Besides, I think I want a dance too. Sam?” Her father chuckled and stood up with her, whisking her away to dance.

Matt raised an eyebrow and slunk away, leaving Pidge with a very uneasy looking baker. “Alright then,” she muttered, standing up. He smiled at her and she let him take her hand as they walked to the open space left for dancing. He placed his other hands just under her ribs, which Pidge was grateful for. The last thing she needed was this guy trying to let his hand slip.

“You look… amazing, by the way,” he said as he began to lead Pidge through a dance to a happy tune.

“Thanks,” she answered. She would’ve complimented him back if he wasn’t still wearing the uniform from the bakery he worked at. He obviously hadn’t planned on staying.

“I mean it,” he said. “Even before the dress and the makeup.”

Pidge felt her cheeks heat up and she looked down at her feet. “Um. Thank you. That’s really sweet.” It had completely slipped her mind that he’d seen her in hair rollers and a ratty shirt. “So… you made all the cakes yourself?”

“Yeah. Um, I run the bakery with my uncle. I learned from my mom and I sort fell in love with baking.”

“Well, they’re really nice. And I’ll bet they taste even better.” She gave him a tense smile and he blushed.

“Thanks. I hope they’re not disappointing.” There was an awkward little silence before Hunk added, “Matt says you’re applying to the Garrison.”

“Yep. I’m waiting on the letter back. If it goes well, I’ll be there next year.”

“Good. They need more girls. The disparity is ridiculous.” She smiled at that. “It’s a great school. I sometimes freak out about the work, but it’s actually pretty manageable. I just procrastinate a lot.”

She snorted and nodded. “Story of my life. Sometimes I procrastinate because something seems so easy, but sometimes it’s because it’s so complicated. Either way, I’m losing sleep.” Hunk smiled and nodded in understanding. The song ended and the two of them stood awkwardly staring at each other. Then Pidge pulled away and gave him a smile. “Thanks for the dance. Enjoy the party.”

He watched as she walked back to her seat where her parents were also going back to, laughing and holding hands. She smiled at them, and Hunk felt like he couldn’t breathe. Suddenly a pair of hands pulled him away.

“So how’d it go?” Lance asked with a smile.

“She has freckles,” he breathed. “Really cute freckles and she smiled at me. Her laugh is so cute, I just wanna make her laugh all the time-”

“Is he going on about my sister?” Matt asked, tossing back a soda. “Did you ask her out?”

“No! I don’t know how to do that, how do I do that, what if she says no?”

“Then you move on, bud,” Lance said with a shrug.

“Or,” Matt said, giving Lance a glare, “You could do all the cute mushy stuff girls like to convince her to go on a date with you. You’re not asking her to marry you, it’s not that huge a deal. It’s just a date.”

“She makes me nervous.”

“Hunk, a can of Bush’s baked beans make you nervous,” Lance pointed out. Hunk glared at him and tipped his soda back enough for it to dribble down the sides onto his suit. “Hunk! Aw man.”

Matt laughed and shook his head. “Trust me, my sister is just a normal girl. Don’t overthink it. I gotta go, I promised my aunt Cassie I’d dance with her.” He patted Hunk’s shoulder and walked away to an elderly aunt who lit up when he offered his hand.

Hunk sat down and ignored Lance mumbling about his suit.

The things he felt when he looked at Pidge felt like something out of a romance novel. He’d had crushes before, and he’s seen girls that are so pretty, they made him trip and nearly fall on his face. But something about Pidge was different. More intense.

He’d seen her without the pretty dress and she still took his breath away. Her voice was so… _nice,_ it just made him wish he could be interesting enough to keep her talking to him. And when she smiled, Hunk literally held his breath because all he could do was focus on her. On the way her eyes lit up, the way her freckles disappeared under the flustered laughter, the way she half-covered her mouth as her head titled back. He wished he could be more like Lance, funny enough to keep her laughing so he could hear it, see it every time. The way she looked at him…. It was so calculated. Hunk could get lost in those amber eyes. It was unreal how pretty they were.

Hunk has had crushes before, but he’s never experienced the intense inability to breathe or think around someone before. He’d never felt time stop just because someone looked at him or wished it would stay frozen before his time was up. When she smiled, Hunk could actually see more with her. He could see late nights under covers, whispering and laughing, movie nights where she’d fall asleep on him, study dates where they stopped studying and ended up sharing funny pictures with each other, he could see arguments that got fixed with a soft apology and hugs.

He had such an intense urge to just kiss her when she looked at him, and that scared him because it took every ounce of self restraint not to do something that stupid. It felt right, it felt like… like they were made for each other. And maybe she didn’t feel that way, but Hunk couldn’t bring himself to let this go when he felt so sure and so unsure at the same time. He had never felt this before.

But he didn’t want to let it slip through his fingers.

He stood by his cakes, helping serve when the family lined up and smiled as they complimented the design. His eye flickered over to Pidge who seemed more than happy to stay where she was, talking to her father.

Hunk was well aware that he was probably the farthest thing from her mind. She was beautiful, and she was smart. She had better things to do than worry about a baker who’d fallen for her at first glance. Especially one that looked like him.

People didn’t think guys felt self-conscious usually, but Hunk knew better. He knew the way even someone as flirtatious as Lance could panic behind closed doors about bad skin, the wrong outfit, a bad hair day. And he didn’t usually fret over it himself. He knew he was a big guy, but he was nice enough that people hadn’t bullied him much for it through high school. Besides, most of his weight was muscle that he’d gotten from going to the gym and the amount of protein he ate. What could he say, he loved red meat. He was a healthy guy, and he knew that.

But times like this, he did wish he was thinner, less awkward, just overall attractive enough to have a girl blushing when he looked at her.

He watched as Pidge danced with cousins, danced with her father, watched as she took off her flats and twirled around completely at ease and happy with having her father back. Looking at her like that, Hunk found his own worries taking a backseat. He really liked seeing her so happy.

As the night came to an end, he saw Pidge helping her mother with cleaning up as family members said their goodbyes and slowly dwindled away. Sam Holt was sitting in a hammock, looking up at the stars with a calm smile.

Hunk saw Pidge toting a trash bag and walked over to her. “Do you need any help?” he asked softly.

She jumped and looked over at him. “You’re still here,” she noted, a hint of confusion. Hunk bit his lip. “Um… yeah, this one’s pretty full. I need to go get another.”

“I can take that,” he said, taking the bag from her hands, gulping when the tips of her fingers brushed against his. “I’ll be right back.” He walked away and threw the trash in the trash bin before going back to where Pidge was fanning out a new bag. He walked with her, helping her collect stray soda cans and napkins. Matt was deflating the bouncy house. Lance was wiping down the table the cake had been at.

“Hey, the cake was really good. You’re a good baker,” she said, bundling up the torn plastic table cloth they’d taped to the tables. She stuffed it into the bag. “Thanks for helping us out.”

“Yeah, of course, it wasn’t a problem at all. Um… I’m really glad your dad’s back.”

She smiled and chuckled softly. “Thanks. I’m gonna go take a shower and go to bed, it’s been a busy day. Thanks again, Hunk.”

She took the trash bag and threw it away before walking into the house. Hunk stood there a little dumbfounded because she’d said his name for the first time and hearing it from her made him feel all jittery and short of breath.

“Baker boy,” he heard someone call. He turned and saw Dr. Holt sitting in his hammock, waving him over. “Hunk, right?” he asked as Hunk walked over. He nodded and Dr. Holt patted the space beside him. “Your cake was wonderful. Very tasty in case you couldn’t tell by how quickly everyone ate it.” Hunk laughed and thanked him. “Will you be coming around more often? I’d love to meet more of Matt’s friends.”

“I could. I’m closer to Lance, but Matt and I have a class together on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” Dr. Holt nodded pensively. “I’m usually taking earlier classes so I can get to the bakery before rush hour.”

“And what time is that?”

“Around four.”

“Oh. Pidge gets out of school around three. Her mother told me she always walks, but that always made me uneasy.” Hunk furrowed his eyebrows, not sure what to respond to that. “Would it be a lot to ask you to walk her home for us, Hunk? Matt’s in class at the time, and I’d feel so much better knowing she’s not walking alone.”

“Um, sure. I could do that. It’s on the way.” It actually wasn’t, but this man was a legend and honestly, it gave Hunk a reason to spend a little time with Pidge.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile. “It’s really nice to be home. Did you enjoy the party?”

“Oh, yes, it was very nice,” Hunk answered.

Dr. Holt smiled. Before he could say something else, Lance walked over to them and nudged Hunk. “Bud, I gotta get home. My mom’s real strict about me getting home before one in the morning.”

“Oh, okay, yeah, we should go.”

“Bye, Dr. Holt! It’s good to see you back home,” Lance said, giving him a hug before rushing off to the truck. Hunk gave him an awkward one armed hug before going to the truck and driving Lance home.

That Monday, Hunk found himself waiting outside the high school Matt told him Pidge went to. Hunk had gone to a different one, a smaller one, and it was pretty cool seeing the variety and the amount of people leaving this one. He saw Pidge walking out onto the sidewalk, her hair in a low ponytail as she hefted her backpack.

He cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want some help with that?” Pidge faltered and turned back, confused at first, then suspicious. “Hi.”

“Are you… following me?” she asked, taking a step back.

“Oh, no! God, no. Your dad asked me to walk you home after school before I left the party the other night.” She frowned and looked at Hunk uneasily. “Honest. He said he was worried about you walking alone.”

“I’ve been doing this for years,” she mumbled. He shrugged and she rolled her eyes. “Alright, well… let’s go, I guess.”

Hunk hurried to her side and walked, placing a decent amount of space between them to help her ease up. He pulled out a bag of chips he’d gotten before leaving the Garrison and offered her some. She smiled and took a few, munching on them as she walked.

“So how was school?” he asked.

“It was fine. I had a test in my physics C class and it was a piece of cake.”

He raised an eyebrow and hummed. “Physics C… that’s senior year?” She nodded. “I’m a college sophomore.”

“Yeah, I figured since you’re friends with Matt and Lance. It’s a little weird that you haven’t been over before.”

“Yeah, well, I’m more of Lance’s friend than Matt’s. Lance just told me about Matt needing a cake, and I figured I could help.” She nodded. “How long have you known Lance?”

“Since middle school,” she said. “He’s been friends with my brother for forever. My mom keeps saying we’ll end up together, and it’s driving me nuts. I can’t be within two feet of the guy without her starting on wedding plans.”

Hunk grimaced and focused on his chips. “Do you not like Lance?”

“Oh, no, I love him. He’s like my brother. But my mom insists on it becoming more, and that’s just not happening.” Hunk nodded and chewed carefully. “She just keeps pushing this idea on me that I’ll fall in love like she did. With the last person I’d expect. Which, I guess would be Lance, but….” She trailed off and shrugged.

“Your mom didn’t think she’d end up with Dr. Holt? But they’re so….”

“Perfect together?” she finished with a smile that had Hunk short-circuiting. “That’s the big love story,” she said. “My mom hated my dad when they met. My mom swears that’s….” She gulped and looked at the sidewalk. “She swears it’s gonna happen to me too.”

Hunk hummed, trying not to feel too uneasy. “Then I guess keep an eye out for people you hate on sight.”

She laughed, maybe a little nervously, but a laugh nonetheless. It was quiet for a while, the only sound being the scrape of their shoes against the pavement. “How were classes for you?” she asked.

“Pretty good. I had to modulate this frequency today, and my professor was being really whiny about it.”

“Well, did you double modulate?” she asked.

He groaned and rolled his eyes. “Really? You too? What is the point of-”

“It’s just how it is, man! You gotta double modulate, who single modulates?”

“Uh, me,” he said. “It’s efficient and-”

“Efficient until everything fucks up and you gotta do everything all over again.” She smirked and Hunk scoffed.

“Oh come on. It’s a waste of a keystroke.”

“What, you can’t spare like a fraction of a second to make the keystroke?” she teased. Hunk felt his face get warm. “Ah-ha! I’m right.”

“No,” he insisted. “I’m just saying, it’s not necessary even if it isn’t that much time. I can get all the work done by single modulating, why double modulate?”

“Ask my dad, he’ll tell you. Always start by double-modulating,” she said. Then her face turned red and she cleared her throat. “But you know, if you got the answers you needed I guess it doesn’t matter.” Hunk frowned and looked at her, but she seemed to be thinking over a math problem in her head or something. He offered her more chips and she accepted.

As they reached her house, Hunk found himself biting his lip nervously and clearing his throat too much. “Uh, Pidge?” She looked up at him with wide eyes and Hunk felt his words catch in his throat.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and waited patiently. “Yeah?” she prodded.

He cleared his throat again and chuckled nervously. “Make sure to ask your dad about the modulating thing,” he said. She chuckled and nodded, turning away to go into her home. “Um, wait.” She turned back and tilted her head. “Did you… want me to walk with you tomorrow?”

She bit her lip and thought it over. It was nice having someone to talk to on the walk. But she also didn’t want to be babied and walked every single day like a kid. She shrugged and shifted her backpack. “It’s up to you. I don’t mind. Thanks for today.”

“Oh, o-okay,” he said. She smiled and waved as she went into her house.

She felt weird. Nervous. She hated the guy during the party. He’d seemed so pretentious and he’d annoyed her by intervening, consistently offering help like he thought she couldn’t do things for herself. Except in retrospect, that’s probably not how he meant it. He seemed quiet, shy even. He genuinely wanted to help, and that was all. And that stupid modulating thing. She couldn’t keep her parents’ voices out of her head.

Whatever. Whatever, it didn’t matter. He was just a nice guy, a baker, and one of Matt’s friends. Sure, he seemed interested, but Pidge had to focus on school. She had to keep her GPA up if she wanted to get into the Garrison the next year.

She ignored her parents’ asking about her walk, mumbling that it was fine and she had homework, but she knew by the gleam in their eyes. They were plotting. And frankly Pidge didn’t like it.

Still, the next day when she got out of school, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander, wondering if Hunk would still be there to walk with her. She saw him leaning against the fence fixing the bandana he wore around his head. She walked up to him and tilted her head.

“Is this your cool guy stance?”

He gasped and jumped away from the fence, making her laugh. “Whoa! Hello. Hi.”

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Oh! Uh, I got you these.” He rustled through his messenger back and gave her a bag of the chips they’d been sharing the day before. “You seemed to like them.”

She smiled and took them. “Thanks.” She opened them and smirked when he pulled out another bag for himself. “So how was your Tuesday?”

“It started way too early and it’ll be ending way too late.”

“Busy day?”

“Yep. But it’s okay. I get my break by walking with you.” She blushed and looked at the sidewalk as she chewed. “Uh, so no tests today?”

“Nope. No shitty single modulating today?”

“Oh my God,” he said with a laugh. He had a nice laugh. Deep and full, and his whole face seemed to light up. “Leave my modulating alone,” he said with a shake of his head. “Wanna hear a funny story?”

“Sure.”

“Okay. So Lance has a crush on this girl named Jenni. I forget her last name. But anyway, he also kind of has a crush on this other student, he just refuses to admit it.”

“Typical,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Right?” She giggled. “Anyway, so Lance finally got a chance to talk to Jenni, and he was being his usual smooth self, you know doing the leaning over thing he does.”

“Oh no,” Pidge said, already laughing into her chips.

Hunk held up a hand, indicating it wasn’t the worst part. “So I’m standing there, listening because as a wingman, I gotta back him up if he fucks up.” Pidge nodded. “And he’s dropping all these one liners, making her laugh, but I’m not sure if she was laughing at him or with him.” Pidge snorted. “But then he goes in for the full effect. Like he’s practiced this countless times, how to ask her out and stuff. But then the other student walks by, and I guess it threw Lance off because then he looks at Jenni and goes, ‘So, Keith do you wannna maybe go out sometime?’”

Pidge gasped and covered her mouth. “ _No!”_ Hunk nodded. “Oh my God. He called her a guy’s name? Wait…. He’s crushing on a guy?”

“He swears he’s not, but he totally is. So Jenni got all mad and left, but Lance was just standing there with his mouth covered mumbling about Keith ruining his life, and the guy is literally just two tables over eating a granola bar and reading a book.”

“Oh my God, that’s…. That’s so painful to hear, I shouldn’t be laughing, but oh my _God,”_ she said between fits of laughter. She covered her mouth, trying desperately to control her laughter.

“Why are you doing that?” he asked, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“I don’t like my laugh,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s loud and if I laugh too long, I snort.”

“Really?” Hunk asked with a smile. “I need to hear that.”

“No, you really don’t,” she said.

“No worries. I got loads of funny stories. I’ll hear it eventually.”

She rolled her eyes and felt her smile falter when she saw her house come into view. “Thanks for walking me home again,” she said.

“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She bit her lip and nodded. She went inside then peeked out the curtain as Hunk walked back the way they came. She frowned and watched as he walked away from view. Was he going out of his way just to walk her?

“Pidge, how was the walk home?” her mother asked. She jumped and shut the curtain, catching her breath. “Pidge, you okay?”

“Yep! Got homework! Gotta go!” She dashed up the stairs and went to her room.

The next day had started out perfectly sunny. Pidge hadn’t thought to check the weather until she heard the rumble of thunderclouds on her way to her last class. By the time school was let out, it was pouring heavily and Pidge only had a sweater for protection. She bit her lip and headed out, figuring she’d be getting wet either way.

“Pidge!” She looked up and saw Hunk rushing over to her with a huge umbrella. “What are you doing without an umbrella?” he asked.

“I didn’t check the weather,” she said, half-shouting over the rain. He shook his head and took her backpack for her, ushering her under the safety of the umbrella. “Why are you…? What are you doing here?”

“Walking you home?” he answered uncertainly.

“But… don’t you head back down that way?” she asked as they walked.

He turned red and shrugged. “Yeah, so?”

“So why are you walking me home in this weather when you have to go the opposite way?”

He looked at her, confused and seemingly a little frustrated. “I’m not letting you walk in the rain by yourself,” he said. “Besides, I like walking with you. I don’t mind walking a little more.” She stared at him dumbly for a few seconds before hugging herself and fixating on the wet sidewalk.

They walked, not talking as much with the rain and the cold, but Pidge didn’t mind. Hunk was warm and with him walking carefully behind her, the cold wasn’t that bad. He walked her to the door, and gave her a smile before leaving the way he’d come.

The next day, it stayed sunny. When Pidge saw Hunk, she smiled as he held up a bag of chips for her. “You’re really dedicated, I’ll give you that,” she said when she saw him.

“Thanks, I think?” he answered. “I also made you this.”

He pulled out a little green paper and pushed it together so it popped out as a little origami lily. Pidge stared at it as he presented it to her. It was folded carefully with two types of paper, and it had little details drawn out in pen. “Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out for it. She had to refrain from trying to sniff it because it was her first instinct, but she also knew it was a paper, not a real flower. “This is… really sweet.”

Hunk smiled and walked beside her as she twirled the lily gingerly between her fingers. “So, when do you get your response from the Garrison?”

Pidge bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hopefully by next week. I’m really nervous.” She couldn’t stop thinking that Hunk must have been thinking about her while he made this flower. She wondered what made him think of her. If he ignored a lecture in favor of creating this and imagining giving it to her. And it gave her butterflies.

“I’m sure you’ll get in. You’re a Holt after all.” She smiled at that and tried to keep the blush in her cheeks under control.

He walked her for the rest of the week, and the next week after that. On Friday the second week, Pidge checked the mail and saw a response from the Garrison. She froze and stared at it dumbly, feeling like the response would make or break her.

“I can’t open this in front of them,” she choked out. “If I didn’t get in…. But what if I did? Oh God, I don’t know what to do.”

Hunk sat her down on the steps of her house and sat beside her. “Open it now then. I won’t look.” He covered his eyes like a kid playing hide and seek, and it made Pidge smile. It relieved a small ounce of the nervousness she felt was swallowing her up.

She bit her lip and tore the side of the envelope away to pull out the letter. Her heart was hammering in her chest, making her feel like she was going to puke. Her hands shook as she read the letter, trying desperately to steady her breaths.

Hunk heard a sob, and he peeked from in between his fingers to see Pidge with a hand at her mouth, staring at the letter. She touched his arm and he gasped softly as he turned to look at her.

“I got in,” she cried, her honey eyes bright with tears and a smile spreading on her lips. “I got in!”

She tackled him into a hug which he wasn’t expecting. He reacted automatically, hugging her tightly around the waist as she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. His heart beat as quickly as a hummingbird’s wings.

But he realized he wasn’t breathing when Pidge pulled away to stare at him in shock, obviously not having expected to tackle him into a hug either. Her eyes were blown wide, her face so close he could count every little freckle on her face.

He turned his face away and chuckled nervously, and she scrambled back, muttering apologies. “No, it’s okay,” he assured. “I’m so happy for you, Pidge, I knew you could do it.” She smiled and hugged him again, more calmly. “Go tell them! You have to tell them!”

“Oh, right! Right! Thank you for walking me. And… thank you,” she laughed and hugged the letter close. “Thanks for believing in me.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said with a smile. She chuckled and wiped her eyes, giving him one more teary eyed smile before going into her home. He could hear her shouting even as he walked away.

Before he knew it, it was summer and Hunk didn’t have to walk Pidge home anymore. But he still visited on weekends with freshly baked sweet bread from the bakery for the Holt siblings. And he started getting invited to video game nights which mostly consisted of Pidge and Lance yelling at each other while competing.

Until one night, Hunk was leaving after a particularly long match of Super Smash Bros only to be stopped by Lance as they went downstairs.

“Dude. Are you seriously going to keep this up?” he asked.

“What?”

Lance sighed and gestured upstairs where he could hear the Holt siblings bickering over what team had won. “I mean, you guys have gotten super close and you haven’t asked her out. What gives?”

“I just…. Don’t want to mess up our friendship. I like hanging out with her. I don’t want to make it weird if she doesn’t want more than that.”

Lance groaned and hit his palm to his face. “Hunk! Of course she likes you! She has a corkboard full of those little origami flowers you’re always making. And she lights up when you get here. Trust me, I’ve known Pidge for years, she doesn’t do that with everyone.” Hunk bit his lip and grumbled as he walked out, Lance trailing behind him with a quick goodbye to the Holt parents. “Dude, what’s going on?”

“It’s just…. Ever since I saw her for the first time, I’ve been... practically in love with her. I love spending time with her and making her laugh and everything, but… I don’t know what to do if she says no and then decides it’s too awkward to stay friends.”

Lance sighed and squeezed his shoulders. “Hunk, trust me. It’s better to try and mess up a bit than to spend your life wondering what could’ve happened. Unless you want her to slip and end up with some douchebag that nobody likes, you need to make your move. She likes you. I know it.” Hunk bit his lip. “Just consider it, okay?”

And he did. It was practically the only thing he thought about for the rest of the week.

Finally, he went to find Pidge, this time holding a small bouquet of real flowers. He knocked and froze up when Matt opened the door. He looked at the flowers then back at Hunk, looking surprised.

“Oh, Hunk for me?” he said. Hunk rolled his eyes and Matt laughed. “Pidge! Someone’s at the door for you.” He walked away and heard Pidge bounding over to the door.

“Ye- Oh Hunk! Oh- oh my God. Hunk.” She stared at the flowers and looked up at him, curious and surprised.

“Hi, Pidge. Um…. Listen, I… I really like you. And I have since I first saw you.” She turned red and covered her mouth. “I know that we’re really great friends, but I’d… like a chance to take you out on a date. And maybe see if… you’d like to be more than friends. If that’s something you want to do.” He gulped and took a deep breath as stared at him.

The silence was freaking him out and he was struggling to breathe. But then reached out for the flowers with a beautiful smile looked at him. “I’d like that,” she whispered.

“Really?” he asked with a relieved sigh. She nodded, smiling up at him with the happiest look in her eyes. “Can I pick you up at seven tomorrow?” She nodded, sniffing her flowers happily. “Great! Awesome!” He chuckled nervously. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Okay,” she said, blushing all over again. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Okay, cool.” He stepped back and kept smiling at her until she closed the door. He laughed to himself and raised his arms in victory. She said yes!

The next day, Hunk went over to pick Pidge up at ten till seven and knocked on the door. Mrs. Holt answered the door and smiled at him, inviting him in to sit on the couch. Dr. Holt was sitting with a mug of coffee and happy little smile when he saw him.

“Pidge will be right down.”

He could hear Pidge and Matt arguing over something upstairs and then a little bit later, Matt was downstairs. He smiled at Hunk and called up for his sister to come down.

“I’m coming!” she said. “Are you sure these shoes- oh! Hunk! Hi! Nobody told me you were here,” she said, looking at her family.

“I thought you heard the door!” her mother said indignantly.

“Have her back by ten, Hunk,” Dr. Holt said, with a snarky smile as he drank his coffee.

“Y-yes sir,” he answered.

“Keep your hands to yourself, and if she comes home crying, I’m kicking your ass,” Matt said with a wide smile. “Other than that, it’s great to see you, buddy!”

“ _Matt!”_ Pidge groaned. “Um. We should go.”

She ushered him out of the door, ignoring Matt’s teasing and the way her mother was about to insist on pictures. He laughed and stopped at the corner of the street where they were far enough away from the house. “You look beautiful,” he said softly, as the setting sunlight danced in her hair. She was wearing the same pin from the day he’d met her.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m really excited to spend time with you,” she said with a smile. “Where are we going?”

“How do you feel about ice cream?” She smiled and Hunk took her hand and walked with her to a nearby ice cream shop. Aside from the obvious fact that this was their first date, this felt pretty normal.

Being with Pidge was still a rush. It still made his heart soar when she laughed, and he still did his best to make her laugh so hard she snorted. She hit his shoulder each time she did, but Hunk considered it a personal victory to make her laugh so much. They got a few looks from people who came in for ice cream, but they seemed to be curious rather than annoyed. It didn’t matter though because everything else melted away except for Pidge and her sundae and Hunk and his chocolate shake.

Pidge had a cute little habit of resting her cheek on her fist and biting her lip as she smiled. And she smiled a lot. It made Hunk feel nice to know that she was so happy spending time with him.

“Can I tell you a secret?” she asked as they walked around a park once they’d both finished their snacks. Hunk nodded. “I didn’t like you when I first met you. Everyone was going on about how you were so sweet and the cakes and this and that, but… you annoyed me.”

“What? Why!”

She laughed and squeezed his forearm which she’d looped her arm with. “I don’t know. You came off as a bit of a know-it-all to me and… it bugged me. Then you just kept showing up.”

“So when did that change?” he asked gently.

She smiled and leaned against him as they walked. “I think it was the day you walked me home in the rain for the first time. I’d realized the day before that you were going out of your way just to walk me. I think part of me thought you wouldn’t bother that day since it was raining. And I got really happy when I saw you were still there.”

Hunk mentally slapped himself. She’d liked him back since then, and he only just now got the guts to ask her on a date? “I have a secret too,” he said. She hummed and looked over at him. He sat her down at a bench under a lamplight and took her hand as he sat beside her. “I liked you from the second I first saw you. And I remember it exactly. It was around three-thirty in the afternoon and you were wearing an old, oversized Looney Toons shirt and faded plaid pajama bottoms. Your hair was up in bright pink curlers and you didn’t have any makeup on.”

Pidge groaned and hid her face in her hands. “ _That’s_ your first memory of me? God, that’s so embarrassing. How could you have possibly liked me then?” she asked.

Hunk smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her cheek. “I saw you smile. And your eyes were all excited, looking around. Then you laughed and… I was done for. You were the one I wanted to be with from that very moment.” She blushed and ducked her head shyly. “You know, I wasn’t supposed to stay. I was just supposed to drop the cakes off then leave. But I saw you and… I wanted to stay so I could see you smile again and again.”

“Hunk,” she said with a beautiful blushing smile.

Hunk looked at her and smiled.

“It’s almost ten, I should get you home.” She sighed and stood up with him, their hands tangling together as they walked back to her house. Hunk made up stories with the stars, making her laugh and smile as he told the story of a baker and girl made of lilies falling for each other. When they reached her house, Hunk walked her up to the door and looked at their hands.

Hers was so small in his, and yet they fit together perfectly.

“Pidge?”

“Yes?”

He looked at her and bit his lip. “Would you… like to be my girlfriend?”

She smiled and pretended to ponder it. “I dunno. Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

He laughed and squeezed her hand. “I really would.”

She smiled up at him and nodded. “I’d like it too. So… yes.”

Hunk smiled and tilted her chin up just the slightest with his forefinger. He leaned down slowly, pressing his lips to hers ever so gently. Her lips were soft like flower petals. He pulled back and saw the way her cheeks were dusted red, the way she smiled serenely at him.

He bit back the words _I’m in love with you,_ knowing it was far too early to say them. But he thought them. Because he felt they were true, and he’d never believed in love at first sight until he saw Pidge. His feelings had never faltered, and he could feel in his bones that this was the girl he was meant to be with. He knew with every fiber of his being that one day he’d be asking Pidge to marry him, that one day he’d watch her walk down the aisle, that there would be more kisses to come and plenty of dates and many more walks. There would be plenty of opportunities to tell her he loved her.

In the meantime he would show her with every paper flower, with every smile, with every gentle kiss.

“Goodnight, Pidge.”

“Goodnight, Hunk,” she whispered, coming up on her toes to kiss his cheek lightly.

She opened the door and shut it gently, seeing Hunk’s smile so fresh in her mind. Her parents were watching TV, and they looked at her curiously, but she could only smile wider and bid them goodnight as she went up to her room. She looked at her corkboard, covered in colorful origami flowers.

It really was funny the way things played out. The way she’d disliked Hunk so much at first, the modulating arguments, everything her parents told her would happen before she found the love of her life. And Pidge was very much a person who like data, and cold hard facts and numbers. Something as flimsy an emotion as love? It was terrifying.

But when she was with Hunk, it wasn’t so scary. And she very much believed Hunk would be the person she fell completely in love with. And it was exciting.


End file.
